2016 THE FUTURE OF CHINESE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

2016THE FUTURE OF CHINESE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

RESONANCE REPORT

Section 1: Introduction

About The Study

Section 2: Where They Go

Testing The Local Waters

The French Connection

Section 3: What They Do & When

Popularity By Category

Top Sightseeing Destinations

Sports & Adventure

Food

Shopping

Where They Spend

Spending Factors

Section 4: Accommodation Preferences

Regional Most Popular Hotels

Section 5: Key Takeaways

FIT is Now the Majority

Mobile Leads the Way

For Hospitality, Training is Key

Sightseeing Still Reigns, Experiences Catching Up

Peak Travel Times Create Opportunity for the West

Shopping Transcends Generations

Economy Hasn’t Slowed Travel Down

0104050608101113151820 22 2526 2831

CONTENTS

SECTION 1:INTRODUCTION

Unless you’ve been to China, you likely don’t know what it’s like to live there. And as international travelers, we know even less about them. Strict visa requirements kept Chinese within the walls of their proverbial garden for decades.

Now, as the world has seen, all that has changed. Encouraged by rising disposable incomes, growing direct flight lines, and an extended period of appreciating RMB, the Chinese have became the world’s most prolific travelers. In 2014, China outpaced the United States for most outbound travelers and the most international travel spending in the world with a record $164.8 billion spent.1 In 2015, Chinese travelers made roughly 133 million foreign trips2 and spent more than $200 billion on tourism related activities.3 That number is expected to reach a whopping $422 billion by the year 2020 - that’s roughly equivalent to the GDPs of developed countries like Portugal and Ireland combined. And even in the face of China’s slowing economy, these projections are expected to remain on track.4 Asia’s leading equity broker and investment group, CLSA, remains “bullish on the Chinese tourist theme and maintains its long-standing forecast of 200 million Chinese overseas trips by 2020.”5

FOR DECADES, CHINA HAS BEEN THOUGHT OF AS A WALLED GARDEN, A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH ACCESS TO INFORMATION IS TIGHTLY REGULATED. CHINA ALLOWS ITS CITIZENS TO LIVE WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE GARDEN, AND IN RETURN, THEY DEVOTE THEIR LIVES TO THE STATE. TO REMAIN WITHIN THE GARDEN IS TO ENJOY THE FRUITS OF ITS LABOR – TO WORK, TO RECEIVE PAYMENT, TO ENJOY ITS CULTURE AND HISTORY, TO TAKE PART IN ITS FESTIVALS AND RITUALS, TO DRINK LARGE BOTTLES OF BEER DURING LUNCH HOURS, AND TO RIDE OFF INTO THE MISTY SUNSET, AT LEAST FOR THE RICH.

02 | Section 1: Introduction

Oxford Economics predicts that 61 million more Chinese households will be able to afford international travel by 2023.6 In its 2014 report, CLSA said that the inflection point after which travel takes off is connected to GDP growth beyond $8,000 per person. With several Chinese cities set to overtake notable Western cities in terms of GDP size in the coming years - Shanghai and Beijing will soon surpass Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco - rising Chinese cities are likely to become some of the most important new source markets of international travelers in the years ahead.7

As the Chinese develop expertise as travelers, the way they travel is also quickly changing. In years past, Chinese traveled only in groups and on bus tours because it was the only way to get a visa, according to Jonathan Reynolds, CEO of Chichaku Marketing in an interview with Resonance. Chichaku is a Vancouver-based agency that specializes in marketing to China and helping businesses grow their Chinese presence. Now Chinese travelers are branching out in surprising ways – led by the young.


A YOUTH POPULATION OF EDUCATED, TECH SAVVY AND GLOBALLY-MINDED TRAVELERS WHO USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO CONNECT TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD ARE MAKING INDEPENDENT TRAVEL THE NORM.

More than 70 percent of Chinese outbound travelers now plan and travel independently8, a monumental change from years past. Of the 109 million total outbound trips in 2014, independent travelers made 77 million of them – a 20 percent increase from 2013.9 And the more they travel independently, the more adventurous they become in their choice of experiences, going far beyond sightseeing to trying new food, local cultural experiences and even adventure sports.

ABOUT THE STUDY

To better understand the needs and preferences of the next generation of Chinese international travelers, Resonance Consultancy analyzed 1.2 million reviews of 94,000 attractions on Qyer.com - a TripAdvisor-like site popular with young independent Chinese travelers - and explored their preference for different categories of attractions including Culture, Sightseeing, Sports & Adventure, Shopping, Food and Entertainment.

As a User Generated Content channel, Qyer.com – Qiong You, 穷游网, literally “budget travel” – is the first and largest Chinese domestic online community of Chinese FIT travelers. It provides the most updated user-generated travel notes, tips, FAQs, tourist guides and journey planning information, and describes tourism services of destinations.

Qyer users are usually 18-35 years old, highly educated (more than 36 percent have a graduate degree) and experienced in travel (more than 70 percent have traveled abroad at least once and 26 percent have lived overseas). The average spend for Qyer users is higher than their counterparts.

To analyze Chinese international travelers’ preference in accommodation, we choose Ctrip.com - the biggest OTA (Online Travel Agency) channel with the biggest volume of hotel data. We examined more than 650,000 reviews of 54,121 hotels on Ctrip.com, and then interviewed hotel managers and DMOs about how they attract Chinese customers.

All data was gathered between March - May, 2015.


SECTION 2:WHERE THEY GO

TESTING THE LOCAL WATERSCHINESE TRAVELERS ARE TAKING MORE OUTBOUND TRIPS NOW THAN EVER BEFORE. FROM 2013 TO 2015, TOTAL OUTBOUND TRIPS JUMPED FROM 83 MILLION TO ROUGHLY 133 MILLION - A 37 PERCENT INCREASE.10

They typically spend between one and two weeks away during international visits; vacations with friends and relatives, or for educational reasons, are the longest, at 1.6 weeks on average.11 So where do they go?

First-time overseas travelers choose nearby destinations because of proximity, affordability and lack of language barriers – and also because they’re within a novice traveler’s comfort zone. While experienced travelers

Asia

POPULARITY BY REGIONS

Europe 173384

Southeast Asia 109629

North America 36130

Oceania 20000

Middle East 14661

Africa 5097

South America 1704

Caribbean 303

289838

are adept at researching, booking accommodation, requesting time off work and shopping for the right clothes, it takes time for inexperienced travelers to get their footing in a foreign culture. Because of this, China’s immediate neighbors are seeing the greatest number of visitors.

Unsurprisingly, Asia is the most popular region to visit, with 289,838 positive reviews on Qyer.com.

Hong Kong alone welcomed 47 million Mainland Chinese visitors in 2014, more than six times Hong Kong’s own population.12 The combination of no sales tax and Hong Kong’s reputation for selling authentic goods – rather than the Mainland’s reputation for selling fake goods – helps explain why so many Chinese have visited Hong Kong over the past two years.13

But Hong Kong hasn’t welcomed its 47 million neighbors with open arms. In fact, the Chinese government cancelled unlimited visa passes for mainlanders into

06 | Section 2: Where they go

Hong Kong in 2015 in an effort to ease rising tensions between tourists and locals. Bloomberg reported that the influx of Chinese entering Hong Kong to buy daily necessities in the former British colony to resell them on the mainland was causing violent protests.14 The change in policy was perhaps one of the reasons for the strong growth of travelers to Japan during the same period.

2.18 million Chinese tourists visited Japan in the first half of 2015, double the number from 2014.15 This corroborates a report from the Wall Street Journal that lists Japan as the 2015 destination most preferred by Chinese tourists. And of more than 4,300 respondents to a TravelZoo Asia Pacific survey, nearly 40 percent of Chinese listed Japan as their most sought out global destination.16

The weaker yen has helped attract Chinese visitors to Japan, but changes to visa regulations by the Japanese government to encourage foreign visitors has also played a major role. A January 2015 policy change now allows Chinese visitors multiple-entry visas for high-income tourists. These visas are valid for up to five years, instead of three years under the previous rule.

Asian countries as a whole have the lion’s share of the Chinese market. In 2014, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan accounted for 70.4 percent of departures. By adding the rest of Asia, the figure jumps to nearly 90 percent.17 Chinese travelers have yet to really scratch the surface of international travel, and we have yet to feel the impact of the Chinese traveler beyond Asia. But as they acquire more travel experience, they will go further beyond local waters.


TOP 20 MOST POPULAR DESTINATIONS

Hong Kong, Macau & Taiwan 88978Thailand 48402

France 40316Japan 39771

USA 30780UK 25576

Italy 21607

Cambodia 14414

South Korea 20826

Australia 13295

Spain 18608

Singapore 13134

Switzerland 6688

Germany 16908

Philippines 8119

Malaysia 15104

Nepal 6774

Turkey 6683

Russia 5930New Zealand 5966

THE FRENCHCONNECTION


WHILE ASIAN CITIES AND COUNTRIES DOMINATE AS PREFERRED DESTINATIONS, FRANCE RANKS THIRD, WITH 40,316 POSITIVE REVIEWS. FRANCE WAS THE HIGHEST-RANKED EUROPEAN COUNTRY ON THE CHINESE TRAVELER WISH LIST FOR 2015, AND IS ALSO CONSIDERED THE MOST WELCOMING EUROPEAN NATION AMONG CHINESE.18

CERTAINLY, FRANCE SATISFIES DESIRES FOR SIGHTSEEING. IT’S THE MOST POPULAR ACTIVITY AMONG CHINESE TOURISTS, ACCORDING TO QYER.COM. BUT FRANCE OFFERS MORE THAN JUST OPPORTUNITIES FOR SELFIES IN FRONT OF THE EIFFEL TOWER. IT ALSO OFFERS EASY ACCESS.In January 2014, the visa application process for Chinese visiting France was reduced from 12 days to two days. During the 1st quarter of 2015, the French government issued 56 percent more visas to Chinese nationals, resulting in a 50 percent increase in Chinese visitors to France year over year.19 France also began offering 48-hour express visas for Chinese nationals in early 2015, allowing multiple entries valid for up to five years.

For Chinese applying for visas within Mainland China, France set up visa centers in 15 Chinese cities that didn’t previously have embassies or consulates for EU nations. These policies and advancements - including a new internship program aimed at increasing the number of Chinese students in France from 30,000 to 50,000 - is one of the reasons why so many Chinese have warmed up to visiting one of Europe’s cultural capitals.20

And then, of course, there’s the story of the Chinese businessman who paid for 6,400 of his employees to visit France for a four-day vacation. Tiens Group president Li Jinyuan booked up to 140 hotels in Paris and more than 4,700 rooms in Cannes and Monaco for his company trip in May 2015. The holiday included a private viewing of the Louvre museum and a mass visit to the Moulin Rouge cabaret show. The group broke the Guinness world record for the longest man-made phrase when all 6,400 employees lined up in blue and white outfits to spell out, “Tiens’ dream is Nice in the Côte d’Azur”.21

But France isn’t the only European nation welcoming Chinese tourists, according to Forbes. Spain and Norway attracted more than 60 percent more visitors year over year during the first three quarters of 2015; Croatia welcomed 56 percent more, Austria 49 percent and Finland 44 percent more than the previous year.22


SECTION 3:WHAT THEY DO & WHEN

Chinese peak travel periods are September, April and February, coinciding with Chinese national holidays - Mid-Autumn Festival, Qing Ming Festival and Chinese New Year. Traditionally these months are off-season periods for western travelers, thus further making Chinese travelers a lucrative cohort to target.

On a per day average, they spend $1,086 USD, excluding accommodation. Compared to other international tourists, those visiting the United States for instance, Lonely Planet lists the suggested per day spend at $250 including lodging in an upscale resort, dining and attending a concert or show.

POPULARITY BY MONTH

September

April

February

July

March

May

January

June

October

December

November

August

10310

8847

8656

8507

8279

7620

7356

7153

6520

6365

4998

11286

CHINESE TRAVELERS SPEND MORE MONEY THAN ANY OTHER GROUP IN THE WORLD AND HAVE BEEN THE WORLD’S TOP SPENDERS IN INTERNATIONAL TOURISM SINCE 2012.23 THEIR MOST POPULAR TRAVEL PERIODS ARE IMPACTED BY NATIONAL EVENTS, WHICH IN TURN IMPACT WHAT THEY DO AND HOW MUCH THEY SPEND.

ACTIVITIES

Our top three categories are Sightseeing (37.5 percent), Cultural Experiences (27 percent) and Food (21 percent), based on percentage of quality attractions out of all attractions per category, of all regions.

It’s important to draw a distinction between Sightseeing and Cultural Experiences. Sightseeing relates to Built Heritage: brick and mortar sites that are historical layers of a built environment. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the Notre Dame Cathedral are examples of Built Heritage, all of which are popular among Chinese visitors. This is corroborated by the 73 percent of Chinese respondents to a survey by Hotels.com that listed Sightseeing as their number one activity when traveling.24

SIGHTSEEING

CULTURALEXPERIENCES

FOOD ENTERTAINMENT

SHOPPING

WELLNESS

ADVENTURE SPORTS

0.375440.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%

0.2708

0.2166

0.06870.0417

0.0178 0.0091

POPULARITY BY CATEGORY

011 | Section 3: What they do & when

With a range of popularity between 29 percent and 49 percent, Sightseeing is the most prominent activity throughout all regions. Buildings, Parks and Gardens are the Top 3 most popular attractions with Sightseeing, based on the number of excellent reviews.

By breaking down the segments even further, we see that the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower in France, and Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, are the most frequently reviewed sights to see in the world. Rounding out the Top 10 are sights mainly from Hong Kong and France, with Thailand and Spain making an appearance.

POPULARITY BY SEGMENT IN SIGHTSEEING

Building 0.2544

Nature 0.1884

Park / Botanical Gardens 0.105

Neighborhoods 0.0884

Beach 0.0578

Monument / Scuplture / Fountain 0.0433

Square 0.0416

Schools 0.0259

Institution 0.0355

National Park 0.0192

Bridge 0.0154

Lookout 0.0108

Island 0.0303

Landmark 0.0144

Town 0.0277

Stadium 0.0112


This data suggests to us that Chinese travelers currently favor visiting historical sites - Built Heritage - over Cultural Experiences, which is associated with Intangible Heritage. But the rise of the young Chinese traveler and the motivation of social media is quickly closing the gap between traditional Built Heritage and the experience driven Intangible Heritage.

UNESCO considers Intangible Heritage as “oral traditions and expressions that includes Language, Performing Arts, Events and Craftsmanship.”25 Some of today’s examples of Intangible Heritage include visiting local breweries and up-and-coming neighborhoods, hiking local mountains or shopping at public markets. While the older generation of Chinese travelers take photos in front of the Sydney Opera House or the Eiffel Tower, the new

RANK COUNTRY NAME NO. OF TOP REVIEWS#1 France Musée du Louvre 1186

#2 France La Tour Eiffel 1109

#2 China (Hong Kong) Victoria Harbour 1109

#4 China (Hong Kong) Victoria Peak 847

#5 China (Hong Kong) Ocean Park 828

#6 Thailand The Grand Palace 737

#7 Spain La Sagrada Familia 725

#8 France Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris 668

#9 China (Hong Kong) The Stars Avenue 610

#10 France La Seine 598

TOP SIGHTSEEING DESTINATIONS


crop are now drawn more to activities and experiences.26 The Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and ’70s forced many older Chinese out of school, into government subsidized housing, and into careers in state-owned enterprises.27 They are less knowledgeable, less globally sophisticated and less tech-savvy compared to Millennials who look for deeper experiences and closer contact with local host populations.

The young Chinese traveler is also more inclined to experience Intangible Culture because of growing experience with planning times.28 Planning for a vacation months in advance is not the cultural norm in China. Less research time means settling on visiting obvious heritage sites like the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, rather than researching a city’s hidden gems. Travel options that may seem outdated to experienced Western travelers can still seem innovative and fresh to the older generation of Chinese travelers. But the young, digitally-adept independent traveler is climbing the global cultural ladder much faster.

Jonathan Reynolds is the CEO of Chichaku Marketing, a Vancouver-based agency that specializes in marketing to China and helping businesses grow their Chinese presence. He told Resonance that experiences are being driven by digital interaction now more than ever.

“Social media is the number one driving force for decision making in China. There’s nothing more powerful for a destination than to have Chinese bloggers, and to offer a way in which visitors can actually share their experiences through social media.”

This, in part, explains why one of the most common demands of the Chinese traveler at a hotel is free Wifi – as it is for all travelers. Reynolds says that social media is the single best way to shift the thinking and reach out to the largest group of people at once.

China has more than 648 million Internet users, a 30 percent increase from 2013;29 more than 80 percent of that number have used an online source including mobiles, laptops and tablets to book and plan their travel, compared with only 53 percent in 2014.30 In the second quarter of 2015, China’s online accommodations booking market reached $3.09 billion USD, an increase of 63.5 percent year over year.31

China’s rising middle class and eager young travelers have adopted online booking methods and are sharing their experiences faster than the older generation, leading to a shift towards experiencing intangible culture. Even, in some cases, toward Adventure Sports.


SPORTS & ADVENTURE

Generally, Southeast Asia ranks as the most popular region for Sports & Adventure activities, with six out of ten of the most popular Sports & Adventure attractions on Qyer.com.

Water Sports is the most popular category of sport according to the most popular reviews from Qyer.com, while Adventure Sports remains low overall with a popularity rating of 9.1 percent.

Water Sports

Hiking

Trails

Other Outdoor Activities

Extreme Sports

POPULARITY BY SEGMENT IN SPORTS & ADVENTURE

0.2831

0.2328

0.2011

0.1918

0.0912

*percentage of each sports & adventure segment out of the whole sports & adventure category based on number of excellent reviews


“Older tourists want to just walk around the village and maybe do the sightseeing up the mountain,” Corinna Hoverd at Tourism Whistler told Resonance. “Younger travelers will try zip lining or ATV’ing. They are more adventurous. We also know that they are on social media more than the older generation.”

Tourism Whistler has reacted to the increase in popularity of Adventure Sports by reaching them on mobile.

“Social media is massive in China. FIT’s [Free Independent Traveler] are younger and all over social media sharing, and we’re making an effort to target the younger population through our various accounts, including Weibo and WeChat,” says Hoverd.

WeChat is one of world’s largest mobile communication apps, with more than 1 billion accounts worldwide. Chinese users make up 70 percent of these accounts. “WeChat is so big over there, but it has to be housed over there,” adds Hoverd. “It’s something that we’re keeping a close eye on because we see that the younger generation that visit Whistler are on their phones eight hours a day.”

Dan Peltier of travel industry news site Skift agrees: “Young Chinese travelers increasingly want to connect with their adventurous sides as the market matures, but they’re also bungee jumping, luging, and skiing to show off cool photos on their social media profiles to prove they deserve attention and respect.”

And the Asia Pacific market is no different. Between 14 and 19 percent of Chinese who plan to travel to New Zealand in the future rank adventure activities and adrenaline rushes as their top motivators.32 Tourism New Zealand spokesperson Christine Adair agrees that Chinese visitors are becoming more adventurous.

ADVENTURE SPORTS IS ON THE RISE, AND AT WHISTLER BLACKCOMB, A SKI RESORT IN WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, YOUNG CHINESE TRAVELERS ARE STRAPPING ON THEIR BOOTS.


“More independent Chinese travelers are coming [to New Zealand], and adventure is relative,” she says. “Compared to German backpackers the Chinese are nowhere near as adventurous – but we do know that there are increased number of Chinese people doing skydiving for example.”

While social media motivates travelers to show off their skills, China’s youth have learned adventurous ways closer to home. With the announcement that the Winter Olympics will be held in China in 2022, Beijing will make history as the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games. The exposure to sports like snowboarding, skiing and luging has already impacted the younger Chinese generation. Kayaking and mountain biking are next. Successful programs like the Shaun White Air and Style snowboarding event have taken place in Beijing’s Bird Nest every year since 2010, two years after China hosted the Summer Olympic Games.

“It’s in its beginning stages and really flourishing and that’s what’s fun, to see the fans so excited,” Olympic snowboarding gold medalist Shaun White told the BBC.

“I’m trying to support the sport and show them what it’s all about. The youth, they want something fun, they want something different and something new.”33

So while adventure tourism and adventure sports are still low on the list of ‘to dos’ for the overall population of Chinese travelers today, the combination of young independent travelers, the exposure to new popular sports, and the societal importance of documenting one’s actions through social media means that it’s a category to watch.


FOOD

As the old Chinese saying goes “hunger breeds discontent.” There’s no doubt that the Chinese care about food; it’s one of the most important aspects of China’s own Intangible Culture. But when it comes to foreign food, the Chinese, especially the 35 and over group, have less of an interest in immersing themselves in local delicacies.

Asia

CATEGORIES COMPARISION PER MAIN REGION

Europe

Southeast Asia

North America

Oceania

Middle East

South America

SAR

CULTURE

SHOPPING

SIGHTSEEING ENTERTAINMENT SPORTS & ADVENTURE WELLNESS FOOD

0.0% 25.0% 50.0% 75.0% 100.0%

0.2508

0.3548

0.4234

0.1959

0.1439

0.2274

0.2395

0.1448 0.3054 0.4235

0.2931 0.2791

0.4752 0.0845

0.4974 0.2051

0.4394 0.2132

0.3502 0.1179

0.3815 0.1654

0.3287 0.2724

They have an obvious preference for Asian-style food, based on responses on Qyer.com (9 out of 10 of the most popular foods are Asian foods). Food is low in most foreign regions – Europe, South America and the Middle East.


Food plays a role when Chinese book accommodation, Matt Zolbe, Director of Sales & Marketing for the Waldorf Astoria in New York, told Resonance. “What distinguishes our Chinese guests from other visitors is their food and beverage needs. They prefer more targeted breakfast offerings, such as congee and dumplings, and generally prefer their beverages at a specific temperature.” Hotels.com agrees with Zolbe. Out of the 3,000 hotels surveyed, 73 percent rate Chinese-specific food related items as the most important amenities provided by a hotel, with 37 percent voting for Chinese room service options, and 33 percent for Chinese breakfast options.34

The lack of interest in local foods could stem from the fact that when in a foreign country after a long day of sightseeing and foreign cultural activities, Chinese simply want a taste of comfort food, a taste of home.

It’s so prevalent that in 2014 on a visit to the Maldives, China’s President Xi Jinping said that Chinese should “eat less instant noodles and more local seafood” when traveling abroad. The comments came after a story broke

about a number of luxury resorts in the Maldives limiting the hot water available to Chinese tourists in a bid to stop them from eating instant noodles instead of using local room service.35

While Xi Jinping’s comments were met with laughter from media in attendance, Chinese food preferences are increasingly being reflected in hotel menus.

Yet again, the trend is changing among the younger Chinese traveler.

Lin Xu, digital marketing manager of Affinity China, a lifestyle platform for affluent Chinese travelers, spoke about her own experiences on a recent trip to Europe.36 She mentions not only her propensity for trying European foods, but also that of the young Chinese traveler as a whole.

“Granted, Chinese travelers often prefer Chinese food when they travel. However, I don’t think that applies as much to the younger generation of independent travelers. Many of my friends and I are foodies. We travel to eat. Exploring local cuisine is a huge part of exploring a new place to us. It’s something we can’t experience in China and gives us an introduction and better understanding of the local culture.”

For hotels, it’s important to find the balance between catering their menus to the majority of Chinese visitors while also piquing the curiosity of the younger, future traveler. Hilton hotels is succeeding. Hilton Huanying (“Welcome” in Mandarin) is a program that aims to attract Chinese travelers by making them feel at home outside China’s borders. Among other things, Hilton offers a full Chinese menu as well as tea kettles in rooms for Chinese visitors. The program has served more than a million Chinese tourists since its inception in 2011.


SHOPPING

FOOD, SIGHTSEEING AND CULTURAL EXPERIENCES ARE ONLY PART OF THE STORY. L.A. TOURISM CEO ERNEST WOODEN JR. TOLD RESONANCE, “CHINESE WANT TO SHOP AND THEY WANT TO SHOP FOR LUXURY GOODS.”“We had a Chinese visitor buy a $60,000 Patek Philippe watch. He knew it was genuine, it wasn’t a knock-off, it was the real thing, and he bought it at the airport of all places.”

One of the main factors influencing luxury spending is authenticity. Wooden Jr. says Chinese don’t mind paying in the thousands, or hundreds of thousands, if it means they’ll get the real thing.

Spending by outbound Chinese tourists jumped 23 percent in 2015 to over $200 billion.37 As China’s middle class rapidly expands, those numbers will continue to grow, with the estimated total spend hitting $422 billion by 2020.38

Global Blue, a tax refund service often used by visitors to reclaim tax on foreign purchases, says that up to 40 percent of Chinese tourists buy abroad for the purpose of reselling in China for profit.39 The proliferation of overseas agents who buy goods on behalf of customers in China – and frequently advertise their services on social media – contributes to overseas sales, and it’s estimated that more than 50 percent of all luxury goods purchased in Europe eventually find their way to Mainland China.40


Our data shows that the most popular outbound shopping attractions for Chinese travelers are Malls with 39.5 percent positive reviews on Qyer.com, Luxury shopping at 22.5 percent, Culture/Outdoor shopping with 15.7 percent, and Chains with 15.2 percent. Outlet shopping (5.8 percent) and shopping for Tobacco/Alcohol products fall in last place (1.3 percent). The latter is likely due to the fact that Tobacco and Alcohol are cheaper in Mainland China than elsewhere.

While Chinese tourists are scouring malls and shopping centers for the latest merchandise, the desire to stay connected at all times has leaked over to the shopping industry and is increasing the social impact of spending. In fact, Chinese tourists are using popular mobile apps like WeChat to communicate with friends and family back home about what they’re buying and, if the store permits, sending pictures and messages back while shopping. In response to retail stores that don’t offer Wifi, Ctrip offers a free Wifi service allowing Chinese travelers to roam internationally. Since March 2014, more than one million Chinese have opted for the service as a way to stay connected while abroad.41


Mall

Chains

Luxury shopping

Cultural / Outdoor shopping

Outlet shopping

Tobacco / Alcohol

POPULARITY BY SEGMENT IN SHOPPING GENERALLY

0.3946

0.1516

0.2253

0.1575

0.0579

0.0131

WHERETHEY SPENDChinese have a strong affinity for shopping in Japan, likely due to the combination of the weakened Yen, cheaper flights and loosening of visa requirements. As a result, Chinese account for one-third of all the tourist money spent in Japan, and the figure is rising. Between 2013 and 2014, Chinese visitor spend in Japan increased by 83 percent, and more to the point, 55 percent of money Chinese currently spend in Japan is for shopping alone.42 Compared with all tourists in Japan, the average spent on shopping is only 35 percent. However, Chinese spend less on accommodation than visitors from other countries, which suggests the majority is more concerned with buying than sightseeing in Japan.43

In a 2015 interview with Bomoda, a New York/Shanghai Consumer Intelligence Firm, CEO Brian Buchwald spoke about the role of the “international destination, most specifically Europe and Japan” as becoming more important for the Chinese consumer in the previous 12-18 months.

“Estimates vary a little on what share of Chinese luxury spending occurs outside of China, but the number has grown up to 80 percent, up from about 60 percent five years ago.”44


THE AVERAGE SPEND BY CHINESE SHOPPERS IN EUROPE PROCESSED BY GLOBAL BLUE OVER THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2015 WAS $1,112 USD, A SEVEN PERCENT INCREASE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR.45

And Canada is also benefiting from Chinese shopping habits. Retail accounts for about 77 percent of all spending by Chinese tourists in Canada, while only seven percent goes to lodging and eight percent to dining, while spending continues to grow according to Retail Insider. In 2013, the average amount spent by each individual Chinese visitor to Canada averaged $1,804 CDN, up from $1,630 in 2010.46

Based on our findings from reviews at Qyer.com, Chinese show a preference for shopping centers with 28.8 percent of positive reviews - almost double the second most popular — high-street shopping at 15.2 percent.

23

Shopping Center

Hight-Street Shopping

Fashionable Shopping

Market

Other Shopping Center

Outlets

Cosmetics

Flea Market

Jewelery Stores

Tobacco / Alcohol

POPULARITY BY SEGMENT IN SHOPPING

0.1516

0.1308

0.114

0.1063

0.0579

0.0538

0.0434

0.0407

0.0131

0.2882

*percentage of each shopping segment out of the whole shopping category based on number of excellent reviews


Hong Kong and South Korea are the most popular shopping destinations from our findings. Thailand stands out because of the Chiang Mai Sunday Walking Street Market and Chatuchak Weekend Market, which mix local specialities, food, souvenirs and local culture experiences.

POPULARITY BY SHOPPING DESTINATIONS

RANK COUNTRY NAME NO. OF TOP REVIEWS#1 China (Hong Kong) Tsim Sha Tsui 642

#2 China (Hong Kong) Central 361

#3 South Korea Myeong-dong 333

#4 Thailand Chiang Mai Sunday Walking Street 296

#5 China (Hong Kong) Causeway Bay 279

#6 Thailand Siam Square 205

#7 Thailand Central World 183

#8 China (Taiwan) Eslite Bookstore 176

#9 China (Hong Kong) Harbour City 173

#10 Thailand Chatuchak Weekend Market 173


SPENDINGFACTORSCheaper goods, lower tariffs, and a motivation to resell all play a role in the increasingly high amount spent by Chinese travelers. But recent data suggests that an increase in China’s GDP is the main driving force. The brokerage and investment group CLSA forecasts that by 2020 the number of outbound Chinese tourists will hit 200 million annually - double the number that traveled in 2014, and that there is an inflection point after which travel takes off.47

“Historical evidence in other Asian countries suggests that per-capita GDP growth beyond US$8,000 triggers explosive outbound travel,” CSLA states.

What’s more, by 2020 the share of Chinese provinces with per-capita GPD of $8,000 or higher is set to increase from 10 percent to 27 percent. The populations of those provinces will rise from 500 million to 1.2 billion.48 There are currently more than 150 Chinese cities with a population over one million people that can be considered significant origin markets for tourism given their rapid GDP and income growth over the past decade.49 The rise in population and GDP within China’s borders are strong indicators that Chinese outbound spend is accelerating.


SECTION 4:ACCOMMODATION PREFERENCES

RESONANCE EXPLORED CHINESE OUTBOUND TRAVELERS’ PREFERENCE FOR ACCOMMODATION BY EXAMINING 54,121 HOTELS ON CTRIP.COM. WE RANKED THESE HOTELS BY NUMBER OF REVIEWS.

027 | Section 4: Accommodation preferences

REGIONAL MOST POPULAR HOTELS

CONTINENT NAME CITY DIAMOND OVERALL PERCENTAGE RECOMMENDATION

NO. OF REVIEWS

SAR Sheraton Macao Hotel,Cotai Central Macau 5 4.7 98% 23763

SAR The Venetian MacaroResort Hotel Macau 5 4.7 98% 12669

SAR The Royal Pacific Hoteland Towers Hong Kong 4 4.6 98% 11386

SAR Regal Riverside Hotel Hong Kong 3 4.3 96% 9674

SAR Harbour Plaza Metropolis Hong Kong 4 4.4 96% 8820

Asia Lotte Hotel Seoul Seoul 5 4.7 98% 2242

Asia PJ Hotel Seoul Seoul 4 4.7 99% 2193

Asia Pullman Bangkok King Power Bankok 5 4.7 98% 2076

Southeast Asia Pullman Bangkok King Power Bankok 5 4.7 98% 2076

Asia Mandarin Hotel Manageby Centre Point Bankok 4 4.6 98% 1495

Southeast Asia

Mandarin Hotel Manageby Centre Point Bankok 4 4.6 98% 1495

North America The Palmer House Hilton Chicago 4 4.5 97% 1442

Asia V Hotel Lavender Singapore Singapore 4 4.3 92% 1406

Southeast Asia V Hotel Lavender Singapore Singapore 4 4.3 92% 1406

Southeast Asia Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok Bankok 4 4.5 95% 1324

North America Waldorf Astoria New York New York 5 4.4 96% 1280

North America

Hilton Grand Vacations Elara Hotel-Center Strip, NV Las Vegas 4 4.6 98% 1146

North America

Doubletree Guest Suites Times Square New York City New York 4 4.6 98% 1112

North America

Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel New York City New York 4 4.5 98% 1061

Southeast Asia

Resorts World Sentosa- Festive Hotel Singapore Singapore 5 4.5 93% 1022

Europe Doubletree by Hilton Heathrow London 4 4.6 98% 719

Europe Mercure Paris Centre Tour Eiffel Paris 4 4.6 97% 690

Europe DoubleTree by Hilton London - Westminster London 4 4.6 99% 575

Europe Hilton London Metropole hotel London 4 4.3 96% 561

Europe DoubleTree by Hilton Tower of London London 4 4.6 99% 543


Hilton Hotels is seeing success attracting the Chinese market, thanks to Hilton’s “Hilton Huanying” welcome program. Martin Rinck, Asia-Pacific president of Hilton Worldwide, told CNN that when they started the program in August 2011 there were 15 participating hotels outside of China. The program is now in 110 properties worldwide, and after the first two years, Hilton doubled their percentage of Chinese travelers.50 The Huanying program has served more than one million Chinese globetrotters and Hilton was the first global hotel brand to introduce a customized hospitality experience for Chinese travelers.

While the program successfully attracts the Chinese traveler as a whole, it was initially aimed at attracting China’s independent traveler, Vincent Szwajkowski - Hilton’s senior director of global brand strategy - told Resonance.

“Part of the reason we developed Hilton Huanying was because many of the older Chinese travel generation still traveled in tour groups, so it was developed as a way to reach the independent traveler. An American travels to Paris and everyone speaks English, but Chinese travel to America and no one speaks Mandarin,” Szwajkowski says.

An outline of the program is below:

Arrival Experience – guests are greeted with welcome notes in Simplified Chinese upon arrival. 24-hour Mandarin interpretation service is also provided, and many properties have Mandarin-speaking staff.

Guest Room Amenities – standard amenities include tea kettles, jasmine tea, slippers and dedicated Mandarin-speaking TV channels.

Breakfast Experience – this includes Chinese favorite menu items such as congee, fried rice/noodles, dim sum selection, Chinese tea, fresh fruit and soymilk and also culinary utensils like chopsticks, Chinese spoons and a soy sauce dish.


Hilton is also rolling out AliPay terminals in hotels so guests can pay with their smartphones.

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts uses a strategy for retaining Chinese guests that’s true to their service philosophy: Mandarin-speaking members of staff are available 24 hours a day to assist guests, according to Scott Taber, VP of rooms in the Americas for Four Seasons. “Serving these customers can be as simple as having a local map or guest room collateral translated into Mandarin,” Taber says.

“There are some cultural sensitivities we always try to respect, things such as avoiding assigning rooms ending with the number four or assigning rooms at the end of a corridor. The Chinese customer likes red flowers, but we must avoid white and blue ones.”

Four Seasons has seen a 76 percent increase year over year in business from Chinese travelers thanks to these changes, Taber says. While some of the business goes to hotels in the Asia/Pacific region such as Bangkok, Thailand and Singapore, properties across the globe are also seeing dramatic increases.51

Marriott hotels attract Chinese customers by appealing to their digital preferences. Marriott recently installed AliPay terminals in many Asian locations. AliPay – China’s leading third party online payment solution – partnered with Marriott in September 2015 to allow Marriott guests to use their smartphones to make purchases through AliPay’s platform.

Marriott’s Chinese guests are now able to pay for their hotel stays, book meetings/events and purchase food and beverage items through AliPay using their smartphones. Hotel guests can also scan their unique QR code or barcode at checkout to settle their bills, or pre-pay before arrival. The agreement between Marriott and AliPay now covers Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, but will be expanding to properties in key markets outside of Asia by the end of 2016.52


SECTION 5:KEY TAKEAWAYS

BASED ON THE RESEARCH CONDUCTED TO PREPARE THIS REPORT, RESONANCE HAS IDENTIFIED SEVEN KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR DESTINATIONS, ATTRACTIONS AND HOSPITALITY OPERATORS INTERESTED IN TARGETING AND SERVICING THIS BURGEONING MARKET SEGMENT.In 1999, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea were granted Approved Destination Status by the Chinese government - meaning Chinese citizens were allowed to travel there for leisure. By 2013, Japan, Canada, Germany, India, France, Italy, Spain, England, the United States and 130 other global destinations were finally approved by the Chinese government.53 Today, only three years later, Chinese travelers take 130 million outbound trips. With that number forecast to reach 200 million by 2020, the effect and impact that Chinese travelers have on destinations around the world has just begun.

For instance, the impact Chinese are having on Australia is an early sign of what we can expect on a global scale. Chinese visitors to Australia surpassed one million visitors over a 12-month period (November 2014 - November 2015) for the first time in history, according to the latest 2016 figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.54 China is the fastest growing major source market to Australia, with growth of 21.6 percent during that period. The wave of Chinese travelers are a result of government measures, like the opening of a new Australian Visa Application Centre in Chengdu, China and streamlining visa application processes. Chinese visitors spend more than $7.7 billion annually in Australia, so it’s no wonder that China is Australia’s most valuable market. Spend has increased by more than 400 percent in the past ten years, from $1.5 billion in 2005 to $7.7 billion in 2015. And perhaps most indicative of things to come, year-on-year spending grew 43 percent in 2015 – double the previous 12 month’s growth rate.


FIT IS NOWTHE MAJORITYIn 2011, the share of independent travel and group travel was split evenly 50/50.55 In 2014, of the 109 million total outbound trips, independent travelers made 77 million of them – a 20 percent increase from the previous year.56 FIT is now in the majority, and growing. Booking sites like Ctrip, Qyer, Qunar and Elong have enabled a youth population of educated, tech savvy and globally-minded travelers to organize their own trips and create their own adventures from scratch. Independent travel has spurred new activities that weren’t available during the years of guided bus tours. Now young travelers seek out adventure sports, sightseeing, local food and various aspects of intangible culture that they can share on social media.

MOBILE LEADSTHE WAYThe number of Chinese using mobile apps to book their travel has more than doubled each year since 2013. Last year, 50 percent of Chinese travelers turned to mobile to book outbound travel.57 The Chinese are early adopters of technological trends. The country has more than 648 million online users, a 30 percent increase from 2013.58 Its rising middle class and population of eager young travelers have not only adopted online booking, but are using new platforms to share their experiences where the previous generation never could. Hotels are also catching on. Marriott installed AliPay terminals in many of its Asian locations to allow Chinese guests to make purchases through their smartphones. Hilton is also following suit.


FOR HOSPITALITY, TRAININGIS KEYTop hotel brands like Hilton and Marriott are attracting Chinese travelers with amenities and services that make Chinese guests feel at home. Hilton’s Huanying program (“Welcome” in Mandarin) offers a full Chinese menu, tea kettles in rooms, welcome notes in Simplified Chinese upon arrival, 24-hour Mandarin interpretation service, jasmine tea, slippers and dedicated Mandarin-speaking TV channels. The program has served more than a million Chinese tourists since its inception in 2011.

SIGHTSEEING STILL REIGNS, BUT CULTURAL EXPERIENCES CATCHING UPThe younger, more independent and socially aware Chinese tourist is here, but like their parents, they still rank Sightseeing as their number one activity while on vacation. The lure of historical sites like the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Sydney Opera House, Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour and Bangkok’s Grand Palace continue to attract Chinese travelers as they check historical sites off their list. However, intangible Cultural Experiences are catching up. Adventure Sports are on the rise, like hiking, skiing/snowboarding, water sports, luging and skydiving. The 2022 Olympic Games in China will further excite this adventurous group of travelers.


SHOPPING TRANSCENDS GENERATIONSAll Chinese travelers, regardless of age or of the current economic situation, have an eye for shopping while on vacation. Up to 40 percent of Chinese buy abroad for the purpose of reselling in China for profit, and more than 50 percent of all luxury goods purchased in Europe eventually find their way to Mainland China. The average spent by Chinese shoppers in Europe processed by Global Blue, a Chinese tax refund service, over the first six months of 2015 was $1,112 USD, a seven percent increase from the previous year. And while luxury shopping is as popular as ever, young independent travelers are also using their phones to enhance the shopping experience by taking pictures and communicating with friends and family back in China.

PEAK TRAVEL TIMES CREATE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE WESTThe Chinese national holidays that occur in April and September and the New Year celebration that typically occurs in February have a major impact in determining peak outbound travel. These months are considered either low seasons or shoulder seasons of travel in the west. 2.9 billion trips are expected throughout China between February and March 2016 as part of the country’s New Year festival. While Chinese travelers continue to gain experience as international travelers, a portion of the number of these trips will begin to make their way oversees to many western destinations, creating a mass influx of Chinese travelers during the west’s typical low season.


ECONOMY HASN’T SLOWED TRAVEL DOWNWhile China’s strong economy hit a bump in the road, it didn’t slow down outbound travel trends or dampen interest in future travel or projections. Rural Chinese cities are expanding, and their citizens are adding to the population of eager, curious, tech savvy and globally minded travelers. The middle class is well established, and disposable income exists for citizens not only in Beijing and Shanghai, but in Chongqing, Shenzhen, Hefei and Chengdu. Hotels have begun recognizing they need a brand presence within China; in early 2016,

Hilton opened its first hotel in the city of Dali - its fourth in Yunnan province, and Marriott added to its Chinese portfolio with the opening of the tallest skyscraper in the city of Changzhou, as well as the Zhuzhou Marriott Hotel in Hunan province. China has 12 cities of more than five million people. The US has eight, India has seven, and Japan and Brazil have three. The wave of outbound Chinese travel begun years ago. Now we’re looking ahead to see where it goes.


1 Florcruz, M. (2015, Jan) www.ibtimes.com/chinese-tourists-break-spending-records-abroad-inbound-tourism-falls-1798196

2 Arlt, W.G. (2016, Jan) www.forbes.com/sites/profdrwolfganggarlt/2016/01/01/2016-chinas-outbound-tourism-moving-on-to-change-the-world-of-tourism/#512e7b6250df

3 Zhu, L. (2015, Oct) www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2015-10/12/content_22161119.htm

4 Burkitt, L. (2015, Sep) www.blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2015/09/29/chinese-tourists-will-spend-229-billion-abroad-in-2015/

5 “CSLA” (2016, Jan) www.clsa.com/about-clsa/media-centre/2016-media-releases/chinese-outbound-tourism-remains-on-track.php

6 “Oxford Economics for Intercontinental” (2014) www.ihgplc.com/chinesetravel/src/pdf/IHG_Future_Chinese_Travel.pdf


8 Zhou, L. (2015, Mar) www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1745261/more-70pc-mainland-tourists-prefer-be-independent-travellers-report)

9 Zhou, L. (2015, Mar) www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1745261/more-70pc-mainland-tourists-prefer-be-independent-travellers-report)

10 Arlt, W.G. (2015, Dec) www.forbes.com/sites/profdrwolfganggarlt/2015/12/30/2015-year-of-resilient-growth-and-further-segmentation-of-chinas-outbound-tourism/#2c747e221d46

11 “Chinese International Travel Monitor” (2014) www.press.hotels.com/content/themes/citm/assets/pdf/citm_uk_pdf_2014.pdf

12 “The Guardian” (2015, Apr) www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/12/beijing-to-limit-hong-kong-visits-by-mainland-chinese

13 “The BBC” (2014, Jan) www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-24481410

14 Li, F. Lin L. (2015, Apr) www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-13/china-limits-shenzhen-visitors-to-hong-kong-to-curb-day-trippers

15 “CPP Luxury” (2015, Oct) www.cpp-luxury.com/chinese-travelers-abroad-keep-up-momentum/?mc_cid=e1cb2b1509&mc_eid=9574437c3c

16 “The Wall Street Journal” (2015, Jan) www.blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2015/01/07/japan-is-most-preferred-destination-for-chinese-tourists-in-2015/

17 Zhou, S. (2014, Dec) www.usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2014-12/04/content_19024821.htm


037 | References

19 “China Travel News” (2015, Aug) www.chinatravelnews.com/article/95068

20 Zhao, Y. Zhao, S (2015, July) www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2015liattendcelm/2015-07/02/content_21158494.htm

21 “BBC News” (2015, May) www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-32677965

22 Arlt, W.G. (2015, Dec) www.forbes.com/sites/profdrwolfganggarlt/2015/12/30/2015-year-of-resilient-growth-and-further-segmentation-of-chinas-outbound-tourism/#30ddf5a21d46

23 “The World Tourism Organization” (2015) www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284416899


25 “UNESCO” www.unesco.org/services/documentation/archives/multimedia/?id_page=13

26 “TNOOZ” (2012) www.tnooz.com/article/behold-the-tech-savvy-young-and-affluent-chinese-traveller-coming-to-a-country-near-you/

27 “TNOOZ” (2012) www.tnooz.com/article/behold-the-tech-savvy-young-and-affluent-chinese-traveller-coming-to-a-country-near-you/

28 “The Boston Consulting Group” www.bcgperspectives.com/content/articles/transportation_travel_tourism_globalization_winning_billion_asian_travelers_starting_china/?chapter=3

29 Florcruz, M. (2015, Jan) www.ibtimes.com/chinese-tourists-break-spending-records-abroad-inbound-tourism-falls-1798196

30 “Chinese International Travel Monitor” (2015) www.citm2015.com/digital-everyones-connected/

31 Wang, A. (2015, Aug) www.chinainternetwatch.com/14132/china-online-hotel-booking-q2-2015/#ixzz3oILpKrXh

32 Peltier, D. (2015, Oct) www.skift.com/2015/10/08/the-growing-chinese-adventure-travel-market-wants-experiences-beyond-tourist-traps/

33 “The BBC” (2011) http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/winter_sports/9352393.stm


35 Taylor, A. (2014, Sep) www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/09/17/xi-jinping-to-chinese-tourists-please-eat-less-instant-noodles/

36 Xu, L. (2013, June) www.jingdaily.com/independent-chinese-travelers-8-things-you-should-know/#.Vrzl0JMrLFx

37 “Jing Daily” (2015, Sep) www.jingdaily.com/report-outbound-chinese-traveler-spending-to-hit-422-billion/#.VrzmlZMrLFx

038 | References

38 “Jing Daily” (2015, Sep) www.jingdaily.com/report-outbound-chinese-traveler-spending-to-hit-422-billion/#.VrzmlZMrLFx

39 “Quartz” (2015) www.qz.com/502312/problems-at-home-arent-stopping-chinese-tourists-from-spending-big-in-europe/


41 “Jing Daily” (2015, June) www.jingdaily.com/mobile-is-key-to-reaching-chinas-wifi-addicted-tourists-en-route/#.VrznjpMrLFx

42 Brasor, P. Tsubuku, M (2015, Aug) www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/23/business/economy-business/chinese-shoppers-keep-japans-tills-ringing/#.Vrzny5MrLFy

43 Brasor, P. Tsubuku, M (2015, Aug) www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/23/business/economy-business/chinese-shoppers-keep-japans-tills-ringing/#.Vrzny5MrLFy


45 Chow, J. (2015, Sep) www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-open-luxury-wallets-for-europe-1442261511

46 “Retail Insider” (2015, Apr) www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2015/4/chinese




50 Stout, K.L. (2014, May) www.cnn.com/2014/05/29/world/asia/china-tourism-marketing/

51 Watkins, E. (2013, Dec) www.hotelnewsnow.com/Article/12853/Offerings-evolve-to-attract-Chinese-travelers

52 The Paypers” (2015, Dec) www.thepaypers.com/online-payments/marriott-partners-alipay-to-attract-chinese-visitors/761275-3

53 “American Journal of Tourism Management” (2014) Profile of Chinese Outbound Tourists: Characteristics and Expenditures

54 “Tourism Australia” (2016, Jan) www.tourism.australia.com/news/market-regions-greater-china-17742.aspx

55 “The Economist” (2013, Aug) www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2013/08/chinese-travellers

56 Zhou, L. (2015, Mar) www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1745261/more-70pc-mainland-tourists-prefer-be-independent-travellers-report

57 “Chinese International Travel Monitor” (2015) www.citm2015.com/digital-everyones-connected/

58 Shuan, S. (2015, Jan) www.ibtimes.com/chinas-internet-users-reach-648-million-still-growing-1794908

039 | References

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2016 THE FUTURE OF CHINESE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL